Back to our previously scheduled programming...
We had finished the dressage show from hell. We returned home & went back to work (attempt #3,006).
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| What the what? Up & butt power?? It CAN be done! |
Instead of simply allowing Solo to bury his forehand at the base of the jump & then hurl himself over, David had me lifting his poll & asking Solo to jump up into my hand.
So simple, so subtle, yet it changed the whole feel of the ride and suddenly my horse was jumping rounder & smoother & more adjustably than ever before!
We did a couple horse trials. The first was a spring event & I believe it may have been the debut of the Chestnut Mohawk. I hate braiding. I REALLY REALLY REALLY HATE HATE HATE braiding. Not so much the act of braiding, but the fact that you have get up early & spend all this time fussing with it, it seemed such a fiddly & unnecessary step.
I learned that through a simple turnout rule that braids are not required-EVER-so I whipped those clippers out & solved that little problem! So now, we have an instant show-ring ready mane with no maintenance other than occasionally trimming the ends. I love it.
The all-important salute. Which took me a while to adjust to, due to the fact in eventing, you only salute at the END of the test.
This was a great little log with a sloping drop behind it, very fun to ride.
In motion.
Splashy!
I love my sport because THIS is the expression you always end up with after your run!
Dammit, you are making me want to move! We don't have eventing down here in South Florida.
ReplyDeleteI would love, love, LOVE to get out of the ring and gallop through fields and rivers. Unfortunately, the only fields we have are the Everglades and all of the splash-worthy water is filled with people-munching gators! :-(
At least go to mid-FL, I know they have FL there as the O'Connor's were saying at Waredaca that they are heading down the FL this week for the winter. *sigh* Why couldn't I have been their child.......
ReplyDeleteWeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! As you know, I am a HUGE fan of the mowhawk. I'm glad to see it got its proper mention. LOVE LOVE LOVE the log jump. You guys look so round and springy and what awesome knees! Even George Morris would approve of that (but the flashy blue and mowhawk would probably make him faint).
ReplyDeleteOh, and I mean Solo's knees of course.... Though yours could be lovely too.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am not a fan of braiding...or banding which is what I do since it's less fussy and I consider us more Western than English. I get out of the work by paying my trainer to do it for me. She only charges $25 to band and $35 to braid and she's AWESOME at it. My boy was roached when I got him and though the APHA rules allow the roach, and I was tempted to just keep it shorn, I decided to grow it out and see what it would look like. He spent a good deal of time with the mohawk in the in-between time.
ReplyDeleteThere does seem to be something different about Solo in these pictures, something more relaxed but self-assured.
Lovely
Oh oh, SP, I totally banded when we were still in our initial hunter phase. With white bands. I have to say it looked pretty smart! But that is how much I refuse to braid, banding at a hunter show, LOL.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you and Solo were meant for each other - you both light up in cross country, and look tense in dressage. LOL!
ReplyDeleteAHAHAHHAH, you may be on to something there -- you should have seen our ride tonight, I swear we BOTH were cussing!
ReplyDelete